The Art of Intrusion 102 (MWL)

HolyMackerel 1495

"NAPD! Open up! We have a warrant for the search of your workshop and memory chips. We have reason to believe you're storing illegal programs and modifications."

"I see. Well, I have a research permit, allowing me access to restricted materials. I sign them out from the university. Everything should be in order."

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With the NAPD Most Wanted List, The Professor suddenly shot back into the spotlight. The man with the keychain of solutions is back in business, and he's back HARD. This deck has overperformed in my hands, though it can always be tuned further.

In my mind, Personal Workshop is the best card for the Professor, since he can store his utility programs and install them mid-run, without relying entirely on Self-modifying Code and Clone Chip.

The most important thing in this deck is to get a Magnum Opus installed as fast as possible. Your entire economy relies on it. You should then be looking for a Workshop, and begin hosting programs you might need. Install your Faerie and facecheck criminal-style to keep the Corp honest, while your Incubator and Magnum Opus prepare you for a soul-crushing endgame.

Most programs don't need too much explaining, but I'd like to highlight a few:

Incubator is TERRIFYING to play against. Since you have both Medium and Nerve Agent, you can keep the corp on edge with their centrals, slowing them down in the midgame. With Parasite on the wanted list, I expect CVS to fall out of favour, which makes Incubator that much more terrifying.

Gingerbread is tech against Assassin. This deck has had a problem getting through an Assassin multiple times (8 with Femme anyone?), and the card is very prevalent in my local meta. It breaks Assassin for 4, and has the added bonus of being useful against Ichi 1.0.

Morning Star, Torch and Femme Fatale, aka "the big boy trousers". The gigantic, expensive breakers work in this deck, because you have Stimshop to power them out, as well as Opus economy to recoup afterwards. The problem with these breakers have always been gearchecks like Quandary and Wraparound, but in Proffessor we can run them alongside Mimic, Corroder, Cyber-Cypher and Faerie.

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Against meat damage decks, get your Imp and Keyhole out to pressure HQ and R&D, and try to dismantle their kill. Use Opus to stay out of Sea-Scorch range, and you should be fine. These matchups come down to playskill more than enything else, so stay safe and pick 'em apart.

Against net damage, Deus X is your best friend ever. Install Faerie and get good at shell games. Much like meatkill, this matchup requires you to have a read on your opponent.

Against fast-advance decks, make sure you have Imp ready for SanSans and Biotics, and can install a Clot when you need to. Your win is probably going to come from abusing Medium and efficient runs, so build up to to that endgame. They typically can't gearcheck you on account of you having answers, so stay ahead in credits with Imp and Opus and you should be fine.

Against rush decks, keep your gearcheck breakers ready. They will try to sneak agendas out behind Enigmas and the like, thinking you're too slow to catch them. Use Nerve Agent to stop them from storing agendas in hand. Force them into remotes, and snipe 'em from your workshop.

Against Glacier, you have an easy time. Your giant breakers laughs at their big ICE, and Sneakdoor Beta either spreads them too thin or allows for some dirty plays with Nerve Agent. Remember that a "take 8"-turn (aka the OG Day Job) with Opus is very threatening for a glacier player. Facecheck their stuff with Faerie, keep them off-balance, and set up for your amazing lategame.

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"As you can see, students, being a sysop isn't as pleasant as it first may appear. A clever runner can adapt to whatever you throw at them, and send you your own resignation papers in the morning. You must be as clever as the runners, and as determined, in order to succeed."

"Professor? Corporations develop and employ the strongest intrusion countermeasures possible. How could runners even be a problem anymore?"

"The runners develop malware and intrusion programmes on a daily basis. Whatever you build, they can match it. New technology destroys the old."

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